The Fear of Falling
by USMC Girl
Summary: Being the former sidekick of a Gotham Siren came with complications, especially when the Batfmaily was involved. Veronica and Alice find themselves having to protect the last people they ever thought they would have to save, even if it means facing the past they were trying so hard to run from. Follow them as they try to do what's right and deal their inner demons.


It was nights like this that always made me second guess my life choices. Was I self destructive enough to throw myself head first into misery or was I just stupid? The sun had been down long enough to let the city cool down, but only by a few degrees. And whatever the sun took away, the humidity made up for ten fold. It's been a rough few weeks, the heat wave breaking records that haven't been broken in years. And yet, I still chose to keep the black leather getup that I patrolled in. Like I said, stupid. I've been doing this so long to know the tricks, to know the ends and outs of my suit. So much went into making it, covering anything that could prove an issue. Didn't mean that I enjoyed wearing it. The thought of my favorite Gotham City University sweatpants flitted across my mind and I groaned to myself. I just HAD to go out tonight. With Alice at her night class and Kate in town for only a few days, I wasn't going to just sit in our apartment.

It's not every night Batwoman stops in to visit. I look over to see her crouched on the ledge of the building, the wind making her cape flutter here and there. Majestic. It came with the symbol that she wore on her chest. Yes, she had created a name for herself in her way. She was her own person. Her own symbol. But there was weight with belonging to the Batfamily. His influence, the fear he struck in criminals, it carried with the people that took up fighting his fight. And even those that didn't necessarily wear the symbol, but still associated themselves with him, you were known. People recognized you. They were familiar with the allies of the Bat. Of course, the Batfamily never made their way to Star City, not often at least. Kate just happened to be in town visiting and thought, why the hell not? It had been awhile. Too long.

"It's so slow tonight." Kate said lowly. I wouldn't have heard her if I wasn't paying attention. I had learned a long time ago to always be aware of your partner and your surroundings. Or else you would get caught or killed.

"This isn't Gotham, Batwoman. But yeah, it's slow tonight." I replied. My black boot was propped on the ledge as I leaned over my knee to look at the streets below. I didn't have a full bodysuit like most of them did. Selina has preferred the full bodysuit. I told her it wasn't me. Even from the beginning, I didn't see the appeal of it. It worked for her. No, I stuck with pants and a corset. The corset obviously came later. You wouldn't see a 13 year old run around in one of those. I opted for a tight leather jacket. Close enough. But now? The corset gave me easy access to the whip connected to my utility belt. A piece of the other mentor that had-unwillingly-taken me under their wing. The corset was an idea I had gotten from Starling. Eve rocked hers and it looked badass, with a strap going around the neck to help hold it in place. With the little skin that showed between my leather pants and the bottom of the corset gave a peek of the intricate tribal tattoo I had that extended from my side and over my hip.

"Hey, you see this?"I turned to see a small figure dart down the alleyway with a box about a quarter of the size of their body. I sighed.

"Here we go."

She nodded to me. Taking lead, got it. Of course I am. This is my city, my turf now. Back in the day, that would be a toss up. Go in at the same time or let the Bat show them who the city truly belonged to. What symbol truly made the difference in Gotham. Cats don't get the luxury. I landed softly behind the figure after scaling the fire escape quietly. Thank you gymnastics and swim team. High school wasn't a complete waste, then. The figure was short, definitely younger. Possibly an older teen. I cleared my throat as I stood at full height and put my hand on my hip. They whipped around to show a TV in their hands. I frowned. She was a kid, barely even 15. Dirt on her face, short brown hair a mess. Tears filled her brown eyes as she took me in. I hesitated. This hit me closer to home than I wanted to admit. I saw Batwoman land in the shadows behind the girl and I steeled my resolve. Not here. Not now.

"Hey kid, I'm fairly certain that doesn't belong to you. You wanna hand that over?" I asked nonchalantly. I didn't want to scare her. I also wanted to give her the opportunity to do the right thing. She took a hesitant step back. "Yeah, I wouldn't do that if I were you." She looked behind her just as Kate made her appearance out of the shadows. If the kid wasn't scared before, she was now. Sometimes I hated the influence of that Bat on her chest. I pushed it aside.

"S-stay away!"

"We're not here to hurt you." Kate said, taking a step closer. The kid started to back against the brick wall of the building, cornering herself between us. We needed to make sure this didn't escalate. I really didn't want to have to take down a 15 year old. Not tonight.

"Hey, easy. I just want to talk," I put my hands up in a calming gesture. "What's your name?" She looked lost. Her eyes were wide and big. Innocent. I didn't see that in kids anymore. For a brief second, I saw Natalie.

"Kimberly." She replied softly. I gave her a small smile.

"Kimberly? Is it okay if I call you Kim?" She gave a hesitant nod. "Cool. I'm Lynx and this is my friend Batwoman. You know her, yeah?"

"Yeah...I know her. I don't think I've heard of you though." Not shocking. This name was newer. My former name, though...

"How about Catgirl? That ring a bell?" Recognition flashed in her eyes. There it is.

"Yeah...I heard of you. But this isn't Gotham."

"No, it's not. I don't live there anymore, I live here. But I'm a modest person and don't like to talk about myself. What I want to talk about is you." She blushed and looked away. "What's going on, Kim?"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing? That big TV doesn't look like nothing." Kate chimed in with her arms crossed.

"My friend is kinda right, hun. That's a stolen TV. This doesn't exactly look good. You can go to jail for that, you know that, right?" She looked up at me.

"But don't you steal all the time?" I frowned. I didn't want to go down that rabbit hole. I didn't exactly have the best role model starting out. But it made me think. Where were this girl's parents? The hoodie she was wearing was a local high school volleyball hoodie, and it was a local school. She couldn't live that far from here. Did they not know about their daughter sneaking out? Memories of Selina catching me sneaking out raced across my mind, but I pushed it aside.

"Where are your parents? Isn't this a school night?" I asked ignoring her comment.

"My mom is working at the diner a few blocks down. And my dad...he's at home."

"Does he know you snuck out to steal a TV?" She doesn't reply and refused to look at me. My gut twists. The closer I look, the more I realize that it isn't dirt that's on her face. Very light marks were formed along her jawline, some brown and some purple. My heart stops. "Did he send you to get the TV?" She began to tremble.

"I...I don't want anyone to get in trouble. I'm not allowed to talk about it." I took a step closer.

"Hey, it's okay. I know what it's like. Believe me. I used to steal things. I was Catwoman's sidekick for years. But you know what? Someone knew I could do better, be better. He believed that if provided the care I deserved, the positive support that I needed could steer me down a better path. And it worked. I stopped stealing. I turned it around and now I get to help kids like you do the same." She was quiet as she took it in. I waited as Kate stepped closer. Kim's guard had gone down. She put her hand on her shoulder.

"Look, kid. We're not here to make your life difficult or to get anyone in trouble. We're here to help you and to do the right thing. If someone is doing something bad, we need to make sure that they don't do that anymore. It's what we do. You can trust us." That's when she started crying. The TV slipped from her grasp and Kate grabbed it last minute. We maneuvered it to the ground as Kim slid to the ground with her knees pulled up and her face in her hands.

"I don't want my brother to get hurt. My stepdad is really mean to my mom and I. He has these really bad friends that come over and drink. He kicks and hurts my mom in front of them to amuse them. But he sells them stolen stuff for money and drugs. He makes me steal the stuff sometimes because he tells me I need to learn how to support the family. If I don't, he hurts me. Mom is too scared to leave. He'll chase us down. I don't know what to do." I looked at Kate. She was thinking the same thing I was. Our slow night had taken a turn. And we weren't calling it a night until Kim's stepdad took a permanent leave of absence.

"Where do you live, Kim?" Kate asked lightly.

The apartment building was old and wasn't maintained well. The empty units had broken windows and boards covering them. It was super dark with hardly any street lights around. Not a place to raise kids. But that's the Glades for you. Couldn't say I was too surprised. We followed Kim up the stairs to her apartment. There was no way we were going through the window. I didn't want to risk him getting a hold of Kim before we were able to reach them, even though Kim didn't like us going this way. She was terrified of what was going to happen next. We came to a black door with a gold 34A on it with the paint chipping and the A missing, leaving an outline. I looked over at Kate and she nodded. I knocked curtly on the door and leaned up against the wall. Kim stood with her head down. We heard yelling and heavy footsteps approach the door. The door opened a crack with the chain lock still in place.

"What the fuck are you doing? You stupid or something? I told you that you don't come back without the goddamn TV. Marcus is expecting it in 20 minutes, you little shit. Go get it or you'll go without food. AGAIN. Then you can pay the fucking rent. Ungrateful whore."

I snapped and moved forward. I grab Kim and pulled her out of the way as Kate kicked the door in. He yelled and fell back from the force. Once he saw us, he began to scramble back.

"Go into your brother's room and shut the door. Stay there until I come get you." Kim nodded as she ran passed her stepdad while I walked in behind Kate.

"You crazy bitch! I'm going to lose my deposit! I know my rights, you can't do this!" She grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him to the kitchen chair. Lifting him up and setting him in the chair, she twisted his arm back, slammed his head against the table with the gun of her barrel digging into the back of his head.

"You wanna repeat that? I didn't quite hear you." Kate said as she pressed harder on his arm. He began crying and whimpering.

"Crazy...both of you...insane..."

"Yeah, and one of us has a gun to your fucking head. Now listen to me very fucking clear, asshole. You're done, you hear me? Done. You ever lay a hand on that girl or her mother again, I swear to god I will come back here and break every fucking bone in your body." I grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked it back as I whispered in his ear. "Do you hear me? I will fuck you up. I don't play. That girl is a good kid and doesn't deserve to have a piece of shit like you in her life. Her mother busts her ass for her two kids and you mooch off of her like a spineless worm that is worth nothing. You beat on a fucking 15 year old and her mother, you coward. You send her out to do YOUR dirty work. You're lucky I don't just allow my friend here to put a bullet in your head. Now, I'm giving you this one chance to straighten the fuck up, because that girl doesn't want to see you go to jail. Took a lot of convincing on her part. It really did. Because I'm ready to deliver you in a fucking body cast. But she insisted. You so much as put a toe out of line, I come back here, and I beat you to an inch of your life. Then I take you to jail. Do you understand me?" He nodded frantically. "Good. I'm glad we cleared that up." Kate and I let him go and he fell to the floor. We began to walk away. We had almost made it to the front door. Almost.

"You fucking cunt! Thinking you can come into my house and disrespect me?!" I turned to see him pull out a gun from under the kitchen table and was pointing it at me. Everything slowed down. He pulled the trigger the same time Kate threw a batarang. Lucky for me, his aim was shit because the bullet only grazed my arm. Unfortunately for him, Kate was always good at what we do. Her aim was on point. He fell to the ground screaming in agony, cradling his hand.

"So much for second chances." She muttered. "You alright? You're bleeding."

"Yeah, he just got my arm. Handcuff this bastard." Kate stepped forward and began to work on restraining him. I looked to see Kim peeking behind the wall of the highway. I sighed and walked to her.

"I thought I told you to stay-"

"I heard gunshots. I wanted to make sure you were okay. What happened?"

"Well, we have to take him in."

"But, you said-"

"Kim, I know. But I need you to understand. He isn't a good person and he will hurt you again. I know you don't want to see him go to jail. I get it. But this is what's best for you and your family. I need you to be brave and strong for your brother down the hall. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, I can do that. Thank you. Thank you for everything." I smiled as she wrapped her arms around me.

"It's what I do." I replied as I returned her hug.

"What the hell did you do?" I looked over to see Alice looking at me with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed, trying to get used to the light after being asleep for a few hours. I didn't want to wake her when I finally got home after parting ways with Kate. I was sitting at the island with medical supplies, trying to clean the wound I had received. She shuffled her feet closer to get a better look. She played with the hem of her oversized t-shirt as she slowly walked towards me. Her blond hair was sticking up in different directions and was definitely shorter than I remembered from a few days ago. That was one of the downfalls of our schedules, we could go days without actually seeing each other despite being roommates. It must have been a long night for both of us.

"Some kid was stealing for her shitty stepdad. He took me by surprise." I replied.

"Yikes. Here, let me help you." She took the seat next to me and began where I left off. Alice and I have been best friends for a long time, so naturally we decided to just stay together when moving to Star City. We understood each other, coming from similar backgrounds. Our origin stories were different, but the path to where we are now weren't that far apart. Whether it was Selina taking me in or Harley and Joker kidnapping her, we both walked down the same street towards something we didn't know was waiting for us. When people say that the Gotham Sirens were the most dangerous women in Gotham, they're pretty accurate. I've seen it first hand, during training or when Selina was in a tight spot. It wasn't all bad. Hardly at all, actually. Despite the stealing, Selina wasn't bad. She cared for me. I can't say the same for Harley. Alice is her niece who grew up far from Gotham. No one was truly aware that Harley had a sister or that she had any living relatives at all. But she wanted to raise Alice away from Gotham, away from the madness. Alice was 10 when Joker and Harley decided that they wanted to "adopt" a child and grow their twisted family. They tracked Harley' sister down, killed her, then took Alice back to Gotham. Not exactly a fairy-tale ending.

"Done. It wasn't too deep. I think you got lucky." Alice said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I know. He was pretty drunk when we got there." I replied, running my hand through my short hair, which triggered my memory. "Your hair is shorter. Did you get it cut?"

"Yeah, I got it done yesterday. I went with the whole bob undercut thing everyone has been raving about. I thought about a pixie cut, but then it would look close to the faux hawk thing you have going on." she said with a smile.

"Don't diss."I replied as I continued to mess with my hair. "It's a killer look, don't knock it 'til you try it. But I do like your style. It suits you." I replied as she played with it. She smiled.

"Thanks. How's Kate?"

"She's good. I think she wants to propose to Maggie." Alice looked at me in shock.

"Really? Does she know…?"

"About the mask? Yeah, I think so." I grew quiet as I tapped my fingers against the counter top. Alice eyed me silently as jealousy slowly ate away at my insides. I knew my past wouldn't let me sleep tonight as my emotions began to turn into a mess. Alice sighed.

"Well, that's exciting. I'm happy for her."

"Me, too." I replied, even to me my voice sounded far away.

"Hmm. Well, I'd love to sit and chat more about your night with Kate, but we have to be at Queen Industries tomorrow morning and my lecture is tomorrow."

"Fuck." I groaned.

"Yep. Vigilante life never ends. Go to bed and I'll see you tomorrow." She got up and squeezed my shoulder before heading towards her room.

"Night."

I really hated nights like these.

The next morning found me throwing a beanie over my dark hair after fighting with my fauxhawk by trying to style it and failing miserably. I made sure my glasses were in place, grabbed my leather jacket and headphones, then headed out the door. I only needed to stop to see Ollie before my classes for the day to check on a project he wanted my opinion on. While I majored in Psychology, I did minor in Graphic Design. I used it for my scholarship and internship for Queen Industries. It was a killer program that Alice and I both took advantage of, but it also helped with the night hobbies I had. Normally, I would dress for the occasion; contacts, heels, dress, and all. But he just wanted my quick opinion and there was no way in hell I was going to show up to campus wearing that. Over my dead body.

Instead of taking my motorcycle, I opted for walking. I put my headphones in and began to enjoy my own time as I made my to Queen Industries, fiddling with my blue diamond pendant necklace. It gave me time to think. I didn't really sleep that well last night. I tossed and turned while thinking of Kim from the night before. It hit close to home, although Selina would never lay a hand on me and it never was as bad as that. Even when Holly was around or when Pammy tried breaking her out of jail. She made sure I was taken care of even if that meant that I had began to help her. I laughed to myself as I reminisced her taking me in and teaching me the ropes. I knew stealing was bad, but I just loved having a family again. My heart sank as I thought of Selina and my parents. I hadn't spoken to Selina a whole lot since I left Gotham. Holly was MIA and Pammy moved to Bludhaven with her boyfriend, doing the same thing I did. Starting over. The last time I saw Selina face to face was when I met the Natalie, the new Catgirl. She seemed like a good kid, but that didn't make it hurt any less. I didn't really know how to react, especially with how estranged Selina and I had become. It just seemed like the wedge between us continued to grow and there was no stopping it. But this new kid, she looked at me in a way I've never experienced before. It's weird to have someone inspired by you when you feel like you've done wrong the whole time. She would reach out here and there to talk, which made me smile a bit. It went from awkward to almost being like I had a little sister, although I've never had a sibling before. The closest thing I had was Jason, but I didn't like to think of that too often. Him dying and then coming back to life? I'm sure that bridge was destroyed a long time ago.

I walked through the revolving glass doors of the building and waved at the receptionist as I made my way to the elevator. I sighed as I hit the button for my desired floor. I leaned my head against the wall. I loved having Kate around when she decided to stop in, but I always got moody when she left. I hated the feeling of knowing what she was going back to and not being able to go with her, as much as I wanted to. I knew better. Like I said, burned bridges. But I couldn't help but wonder what they were up to or wanting to reach out to Dick and ask him if this was what it was like for him with Jason and Tim. I missed being able to pick up the phone and talk shit with Babs. I think Kate knew these things and perhaps that's another reason she stopped by more often than she used to. Why she would ramble on, subtly telling me what they were doing in their lives. I couldn't go back after ghosting them the way I did, leaving nothing but a letter behind. Kate didn't want to, but I finally got her to tell me what had happened, how they reacted, not caring if it hurt me or not. But you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat. I had a hard time dealing with the guilt after that.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened and I walked into a smaller lobby. I could see figures in the conference room on the other side through the frosted glass. I sat down in one of the chairs and picked up a magazine as I waited. I knew Oliver was busy, he usually was. But I knew that we needed to get this done and soon. Laughter was heard through the glass and the door opened.

"Right you are, Lucius. Thank you for the trip here, I look forward this this new project. Partnering up with your company is always exciting. Tell Bruce I'll be in touch." Oliver said, opening the door for the older man. Lucius smiled and shook Ollie's hand.

"I'll let Mr. Wayne know." he replied before making his way to the elevator. I stood and eyed Lucius Fox as I made my way to Ollie. He had gotten older, that was for sure. Part of me wanted to ask how Tamara and Luke were doing, but I decided against it. I wasn't as close to them as the others were.

"Veronica, so glad you could make it! I have something I need to go over with you!" Oliver said enthusiastically. Before I gave him my full attention, I caught Lucius' eye. I couldn't tell for sure, but maybe there was a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. I walked into the conference room before I could give it anymore thought.

"What's going on, Ollie?" I asked as I took a seat. He sighed and put his hands on the back of the chair in front of him.

"Have you heard anything from Dinah these last few days?" he asked, his tone taking a more serious turn. My stomach twisted.

"No...no, I haven't. Why? What's wrong?" I asked, confused by his question.

"Okay, well I need you to do something for us. Dinah wanted to reach out herself, but I know she's working a job, and I wasn't sure if she had. I figured it wouldn't hurt to just ask you." he replied, leaning forward with his head down. I could tell he was exhausted and extremely stressed.

"Okay…?" he gave me a grave look.

"Talia and the League have been spotted in Tibet." I frowned.

"Okay? What does that have to do with Dinah and us?I mean, if she's an issue, just send Batman. I have no clue as to what Dinah has on her right now, but I'm thinking he would be the perfect candidate to deal with whatever situation has come up." I said, still confused. I knew that particular situation was weird with Bruce and I didn't think the JLA, or Ollie and Dinah to be more specific, actively searched for her to bring her in. I've been so out of the loop and I honestly never had an interest in the Justice League.

"No, I'm aware. None of us really do, honestly. We have just enough, but that's it. Just the basics. We need more intel, because we think she might be up to something. That's why I need you. I want you to fly out to Tibet and observe. Find out what you can and come back. I have a bad feeling about this one, Veronica. I want your eyes on this one."

"You want me to...what?" I asked. Of all the things, this isn't something I was expecting. "Oliver, if we only know a decent amount of information about them, and Bruce knows more, then you're talking to the wrong person right now. Of course you guys have decent knowledge of her, its your job to know. But it makes more sense to just take it to him. If she's making a move, he will probably know. I don't understand what you're getting at, Ollie."

"Cheshire, Lady Shiva, and Deathstroke have been spotted across Europe and Asia, stealing top of the line tech, Veronica. I mean, this stuff is the big deal. We believe she's behind it and ordering them to do this, but we can't even tie her to anything. All we have to go on is that all three of them have been known to work with her and her father. But we can't get close enough to figure out if she's behind it or not, and what she could be planning if she is. Either way, this can't be anything good." He pulled the chair back and sat down with his hands folded in front of him. "Look, any other time I would go straight to Bruce with this information. You know that. But I don't want to stir up trouble in case my hunch is wrong and create any friction or discord for the kid. That would complicate things." I leaned back in the chair as understanding dawned on me.

"You want to keep this on the down-low so Damian doesn't find out and Bruce doesn't have to hide it from his son?" I asked.

"Despite what a lot of people think, Bruce is a good friend of mine. We have our moments, but who doesn't? The last thing I want is to stir up trouble for him and his family. I'm sure Selina wouldn't appreciate it."

"No, she wouldn't." I murmured. "So, is Roy aware that the mother of his child is running around, doing this?" I asked, changing the subject. Ollie sighed.

"No, no yet. I'm having lunch with him today and I'm hoping to be able to tell him then. It's nice to have him back around after their little Outlaw team split."

"Him and Jason are close, Ollie. I don't think he feels the same way you do about that."

"And he also just got his heart broken, I know." Ollie looked out the windows that gave us a perfect view of the city. "I just want what's best for him. We've made a lot of mistakes and I'm trying my best to fix the relationship. He just got in a lot of trouble with the other two. That's all." I was quiet as he continued to stare out the window. I couldn't disagree with him. I knew what had happened in Gotham after Jason's return. Obviously he chilled out a bit since then, but he was still doing his thing. From what I gathered from Kate, he had agreed to not kill while in Gotham. Which was progress. Oliver sighed again and looked at me. "V, I wouldn't ask if I had any other choice. I trust you and I know you care about that family. Plus, I think you're the only one that can help pull this off." I sighed. I knew he wouldn't let it go. I also knew he had a point. There was no point in creating unnecessary drama in the Batfamily. There was enough between them, as is.

"Fine. Who am I working with? I can't go alone." I replied. He looked back at me with a small smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Katana. She's out there now. She was the one that's been keeping me updated. But I need you to get closer. I've seen you break into some impressive places, I'm sure you'll be just fine."

"When do I leave?" I asked.

"Tonight. I have a private plane that will take you to the meeting point where you will rendezvous with Katana and go from there." He handed me a big yellow envelope. I opened it and looked inside. "You have a passport and a fake ID. There are also any papers you might need while you're over there and money, cash of course. There's also a phone that can't be traced and you have your two-way earpieces and a flashdrive. Just in case."

"Perfect. I'll pack after my classes today. That works perfectly. I'll let you know what I find."

"Veronica, seriously. You're doing us a huge favor. I appreciate it. I really do." he said as he looked me in the eye. My heart went out to him. I knew that everything was taking a toll on him. There were other things going on in his life and I knew that. And yet, he still was looking out for them. I knew Bruce would be angry for being kept out of the loop, but I had mad respect for the man in front of me. He cared about his friends. I stood and gave him a reassuring smile.

"No problem. What are friends for?" I turned and made my way to the door. "Besides, I've got nine lives, remember?" I called as I left. I could still hear his laughter through the elevator on the way down.

"He didn't tell you how long you would be gone?" Alice asked. She was sitting cross legged on my bed as I finished packing my bag for the trip. I could tell she was worried for me, and I appreciated that. I didn't go out of town like this very often, and hardly ever on something like this. It just didn't happen.

"No, I'm assuming I'll after I get the information I'm looking for." I replied.

"Which is?"

"No clue." She grew quiet at my answer. I wasn't going to lie to her.

"You don't even know what you're looking for. Are you going to be able to at least keep in touch with us?"

"Not sure, but probably not. I don't think I can risk it, to be honest. I'll be fine, Ali. I have Katana to watch my back." She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You make it sound like I'm not worried about her, too. This is one of the reasons why I retired my mask. I didn't want to take the risk anymore. I guess I keep forgetting that there's still a risk you take when your friends are still in the life." she said softly as she gave me a look. "I support you and I know we both made our decisions, but please be safe. Both of you. I don't want to lose my friends. Helena has already fallen off the grid doing who knows what. You and Katana need to come back in one piece."

"We will. I promise. As for the Helena thing, don't worry about her. Dinah wanted her in Gotham, so believe me, there are eyes on her. Batman keeps a close eye on his city and Helena isn't the subtle type. I can only imagine that she's in safe hands." I replied with a chuckle.

"I can't tell if that's reassuring or not."

"Meh, take it however you want." I zipped up my duffle bag and did a quick check to make sure I had everything.

"So, Ollie is gonna tell Roy? Do you think that's a good idea?" she asked as she got up from the bed.

"Personally, I'm not sure. I think that if there's a chance this can go belly up with Jade, he should at least be aware of what could happen. He's still a little tore up about Kori, but it is what it is. And if I know anything about Jade, she'll try to keep a safe distance. That's just who she is. She's not the lovey dovey type. She loves her daughter, but she doesn't do relationships."

"I hope he'll be okay."

"Yeah, do me a favor and check in on him while I'm gone? We talk through the week here and there, and I just want to make sure everything is okay. He's been through a lot."

"Of course. He's mine friend, too." she said with a laugh. She walked over and gave me a hug. "Be safe. Talia is unpredictable. I don't trust any of them."

"I will, I promise." I pulled away and smirked at her. "I've been trained well, Ali. I'll be just fine."


End file.
